Surviving HOSPITAL bedrest

Here are some tips for surviving a long-term hospital stay while pregnant. Some of these are more general, some are very specific, but my learning curve is your gain! :

1. Make friends with the nurses. This is the single best thing you can do for yourself. You will see the doctor for a few minutes a day, but the nurses are the ones who will re-fill your water, answer your questions and come to love and know your baby. They'll get you special menus, run to buy you candy at night, teach you tricks to relieve your perpetual discomfort, and advocate for you with the docs. Plus, they are full of juicy gossip about labor and delivery. So don't annoy them.

2. Along those lines, each time you get a new nurse, jot down their name and a few tidbits that you learn about them and their family. I also include something special they did for me. I am doing this for two reasons - one, so I'll know who to write cards to once this is all over (and be able to thank them SPECIFICALLY), and two, so when visitors are here I can introduce my nurse to them along with a conversation starter. For example, when the nurse comes in, I say, "So and so, this is Nora - she has been a labor and delivery nurse for 35 years! You should HEAR her stories!" and then it starts an enjoyable chat for all :) This sounds sooo dweeby, but it really has helped me establish relationships with my nurses. Refer to point 1. The nurses ARE. YOUR. LIFE.

3. Send your husband home. I know. Super sad. The first night Jason left to sleep at home, I cried and cried, but in the end, it is better for him to get a good rest (and give the needy dogs some TLC) so he is ready for whatever the night or day holds. Especially if your baby could literally be born at any second. There needs to be at least one of you in tip top shape, and I am sayin', it will NOT be you.

4. Wear your own clothes. As soon as they let you, get out of that hospital gown. Since the items of clothes I can still fit is slowly dwindling, I send Jason home with the previous day's clothes each night for him to wash and bring back (for example, I send him home with Sunday's outfit on Monday night, which he brings back on Tuesday). I felt 100x better after getting out of that gown.

5. Ask to get out of a labor and delivery bed. If you are told you will be there more than one night, ask if they can get you a different bed. The L&D beds are narrow and hard. The regular beds are squishy and wide so you can cuddle with your hubby. Our hospital also has egg crate mattress covers that my nurse gave me. This made ALL. THE. DIFFERENCE and got rid of a significant amount of rib pain and back discomfort for me.

6. Get those night meds. I have mentioned my little BFF Ambien. Before I got pregnant, I was like, "I am not going to let coffee touch my lips, never will I take a bath, I'll live only on veggies and tofu and I will CERTAINLY not allow ANY medications to enter my TEMPLE of a body." Noah (well, his little uterine home) had other plans. I tried everything I could to avoid the few medications I am on, but at the end of the day (or after several weeks of trying alternatives), I was done with the agony. If you are laying around all day, you WILL NOT sleep at night. And as the nurses will tell you, you NEED to sleep while you can. For me, lack-of-sleep was contributing to my contractions so it was also a health issue. And you better not tell my baby he can't have chicken strips. That does NOT go over well.

7. So they have these monitoring bands which are made of cloth and elastic, sort of like the belly bands you wear with your jeans when you first start popping out of them, but looser. These are so much more comfortable for monitoring than the velcro straps and easier/quicker to get on and off. I love my special band. And Noah does, too. He used to throw huge fits and run from the monitor (we think the sensors were just pressing on him and annoying him) so what was supposed to take an quick hour would be two-three hours of chasing him around. That has not been a problem since I switched to the belly band. I am told some ladies prefer the straps, but you never know until you try it once or twice.

8. Don't be a hoarder. There are women here in really, really sucky situations. Some are here for months, some have no support from the daddy, some have serious financial stress, and some have to check out against medical advice for various reasons. At the end of the day, bed rest in the hospital sucks for everyone. If people bring me goodies or magazines or activity books, I use them for a while (eat my fair share) and then pass them on. The nurses will take them to someone who REALLY needs a pick-me-up :)

9. Get yourself a routine. Early on, I realized that I needed to figure out a schedule that worked for me. When you get a new nurse, they will ask you how you like to do things and what your preferences are, and it helps to be able to tell them. I get up, tidy up my room (so my Russian housekeeper will continue to repeat to me daily what a good wife I must be - so bizarre), shower, do my makeup in my bed using my special table, eat, and then get monitored. This works for me. I like to do all this as soon as I wake up, mostly because I am paranoid that I'll be have an emergency and be carted off to deliver without my life in order. I have other little routines for the day, but it gives me some sort of constant in a very weird situation.

10. Olive oil. The air here is super dry. Dry to the point that my regular face lotion (which I have used for years) was giving me a rash and I was getting dry patches all over my skin. My sister brought me olive oil and I rub it into my face after my shower each day. It has helped immensely. I (or Jason) also rubs coconut oil on my stomach a couple times a day, but for the face, just straight olive oil without scents or anything is best.

11. Bring a little stand up mirror (or have someone buy one for you). You will need this to do your makeup lying down in bed. Some people might not care, but I am not an invalid, and I don't want a reputation as the resident antepartum hag. And I hope it goes without saying, but shower. Each day.

12. Get a stuffed animal. My Uncle Gary brought me a stuffed hippo that I named Meatloaf (because I spilled meatloaf on him the night I got him). He is much easier than a regular sized pillow to maneuver behind my neck and back or wherever I need extra support. He has a nice pot belly and I pretend he is Maddie when I fall alseep.

13. Bring pictures of your dogs. Or kids. My dogs are my kids, so I have pictures of them and it really is a mood booster when I miss them so badly I think I will bust out of this joint AMA.

I think that is all. I have a few hospital drama stories and a few horrifying/hilarious labor and delivery stories from my nurses, so I'll try to get those out in the next few days.

Yeah, this isn't going to work

McSexy thought he had come up with a good plan. Yesterday wasn't a good day pain-wise, so I just went along with it apathetically. "Okay, dear..."

So he stayed at the hospital with me until 6 last night. He went home, walked and played with the recently dropped-off puppies and then got a huge coffee from Starbucks.

Then he stayed up all night long coding and doing work. He showered, walked the dogs again, and was back here by 8:00. Then promptly fell asleep.

So I am sitting here in the dark - can't talk on the phone, can't watch television and am trying to be quiet for him. And have no one to talk to because he is sleeping.

This is not going to work. I can't sit in the dark all day and all night and lose half of the distractions that make me sane.

So tonight he'll sleep like a normal person and go back to our original plan, which was to spend the morning at home working and being with the dogs, the afternoon here, and then go back in the evening again.

I think he is just paranoid if something happens and they have to deliver Noah while he is not here so he is trying to spend as many hours in the hospital as possible without having to be here during the night (because of the the puppies). Understandable. But the nurses have his cell and I am sure he could get here right AFTER Noah is born if not before or simultaneously. "After" does not make him happy, but what are you going to do? This is not an ideal situation for anyone...

The highlight of my day (probably my week!) so far was that one of my doctors said she is going to write an order for Duke and Maddie to come visit me! I am so, so happy. Maybe they can come tomorrow! They probably think I died, so I know they will be excited to see me. And Duke loves to tour buildings (besides doggie daycares) like Home Depot, the vet office, etc. so he will be very curious and excited! I'll try to take pictures!

So all I'll be missing is this little princess (unless they can write an order for a rat to come visit, or my parents can sneak her in, but I don't want to push my luck!)

Alice helping Daddy paint Noah's room a couple months ago. She was a big helper.

Well, that was interesting...

Well, we just got out of the hospital and I am so, so glad to be home with NO BABY! We had a rough couple days and night, but thanks to excellent care and a finally chilled-out uterus and baby, I am back with my puppies and McSexy.

At 9:30 yesterday morning, I went upstairs for my regular bath time and low and behold was bleeding! That was a bit of surprise, even though they have told us for months to expect it and I have tried to become mentally prepared. Yay. I called Jason freaking out, because we are sooo not ready for the hospital. I have been a slacker and have lists of what to pack, but nothing really together except for Noah's diaper bag, which is the VERY last bag we will need! He was leading a meeting but finally answered his phone and came home. I am so thankful that he works five minutes away from our house...

Anyway, we called our perinatologist and went to his office for an ultrasound and monitoring. We were there within 20 minutes. Noah looked great and is now 4 lbs, 9 oz (which is in the 68 percentile!). He was not as active as he has been, which didn't freak me out but I thought it was kind of interesting. He had a strong heartbeat, good fluid, all that.

So they put me on a contraction monitor and I was having them yet again. I felt mostly back labor, so it was hard for me to tell. I was uncomfortable, but that has sort of been the story of this pregnancy, especially having contractions off and on for a few weeks now.

To make a long story short, Dr. Watson transferred us to the hospital (which is across the street) with assurances that it would probably be only for a few hours. Okay, we can handle this, we were thinking. Bleeding had stopped and Dr. Watson assured us that even if they had to deliver, he would have 100% chance of survival and a 95% chance of not having any long-term complications. I really wasn't worried...

Hospital was a whole different story. We were still having contractions but naively thought they would end up resolving themselves and we could go home in a few hours. But all of a sudden, Noah's heartbeat dropped way below 100 (it had been 150-160 previously) and didn't resolve itself. Before I even knew what was happening I had four nurses and two doctors in my room freaking out, moving the monitor, grabbing the printouts, shoving an IV in (worst IV ever in the top of my right wrist - took three nurses), rolling me around and telling me that if his heart rate didn't come back up in a minute or two we would need to have an emergency c-section immediately. Ooookay. Let me tell you, I have never been as scared in MY LIFE as when I watched my baby's heart rate plummet and was instantly surrounded by medical personnel. The only thing I was thinking was, "GET HIM OUT. GET HIM OUT RIGHT NOW EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO DELIVER HIM RIGHT HERE." So panicked. There was nothing Jason and I could do but watch and hope.

Finally his heart rate went above 100 again, praise the LORD, and kept dipping but would come back up again. So needless to say, we were admitted and were there all freaking night and today until 5:00 p.m. His heart rate had a few more issues and I continued to have contractions, but no more bleeding and during the night his heart rate went back up to normal and stayed there. He also "woke up" and became more active at around 8:00 in the evening. My contractions stopped this afternoon. Happy momma. We also got two rounds of steroid shots to mature his lungs in case of delivery in the next few weeks.

With all the panic and kind of traumatic experiences that went along with the past hours we also had some positive outcomes of our little adventure.

1. We loved the nurses at our hospital. They were wonderful, reassuring, calm and we just adored them. I am so glad we are delivering at St. V's. Especially my day nurse, Peggy. I absolutely love her and we totally hit it off. I am praying she is our nurse when Noah is born! God bless nurses, seriously. They are amazing.

2. We met a few more doctors who were part of Dr. Watson's perinatal practice and really liked all of them. If Noah reaches his scheduled c-section date we will have Dr. Watson deliver him, but if it turns out to be an emergency delivery, we are very comfortable with any of the doctors we have met so far. I swear that this practice must have had "super super nice around paranoid pregnant women" as a requirement for joining.

3. We were kind of able to practice our delivery game plan and find out holes and flaws BEFORE it is actual go time and we are stuck in the hospital for ages. My friend Aja and her husband watched the dogs, as planned, but I realized that I need to make more detailed lists for them (mostly about Duke's medications he is on), and list out where exactly to find their beds, leashes etc. It worked out because Jason ran home to get some stuff for us for the night and was able to drop them off with their gear. We are lucky to have such good friends who will watch our precious babies within a moment's notice!

4. As mentioned before, I got a swift kick in the rear as to what I still need to buy/prepare for the hospital stay. I am on much stricter restrictions now (complete bed rest with showers but no longer allowed to putter around the house or go on walks or anything), so I am not sure how it is going to get done, but at least I know of some much needed toiletries/clothes/accessories that I had totally overlooked but would make a hospital stay much more pleasant. So my goal is to get my toiletry bag ready and packed in the next few days so I am ready, and whatever I can of my clothes bag, because obviously we could be back in the hospital at any time. I also need to update my little lists for Jason.

5. We also became aware that there were some birth plan holes that we need to get moving on. We are slowly realizing that we have little to no control over how things play out, but we were asked a bunch of questions about our preferences that we haven't yet solidified (SHOCKING, I know). Like about circumcision. We have done research but still can't decide. What do you guys think/how did you decide?

6. We were reminded again how blessed we are that Jason works for a company that is so flexible and understanding. He has amazing co-workers that stepped up instantly (as they have done in the past as well) and spent the whole day emailing him, not about work, but about me and the baby. I can't believe how we both ended up working for companies/schools that really practice what they preach about families and supporting their employees. He is able to take off work with me tomorrow and Friday (so he'll end up being gone the whole week pretty much), which doesn't affect his paternity leave in any way. So, support Intel and buy their products!

7. Amazing insurance. I cannot imagine having to worry about how to pay for all that monitoring and tests and such ON TOP of worrying about Noah. This type of pregnancy would absolutely SINK a family without insurance. I just feel so awful for those without means to pay for proper medical care, but I am so thankful that we do.

So now we are back to waiting, which is fine by me. We are praying that nothing more threatening happens in the next few weeks and Noah can grow a bit longer. I am somewhat comforted in knowing that we have the lung steroids now, which should help immensely. Praying that he stays in there as long as possible. I'll keep y'all updated!

My uterus is pissed off...

Well, that's not QUITE how they put it at labor and delivery last night but that basically sums it up.

I started having contractions at 1:00 yesterday afternoon. I didn't think much of them, because they had happened randomly in the past couple weeks and stopped when I drank a ton of water, took a hot bath or lied down in bed. We told our perinatologist (Dr. Watson, whom we lurrrrve) about them, and he said to expect them to a certain point because of my previa and that he wasn't worried unless they got pretty strong or constant or weren't relieved my any of my contraction solutions.

Let me backtrack, because I realized I haven't updated in awhile and I am getting ahead of myself, which is typical and how my brain works... I am now 28 weeks along. At our last week's ultrasound, Noah weighed 2 lbs, 11 oz (which is big for his age, yippee!) and looked awesome. Every time he gets an ultrasound or doppler, they always comment on how overly active he is. Part of it is that he cannot stand any type of monitoring at all and follows around the probes kicking/punching them as hard as he can. Seriously annoyed. So he looks good, but my previa hadn't moved at all. Still smack dab over my cervix, basically centered. Super awesome. So we were given a bunch of different scenarios and here's how they go:

1. I am now on bed rest. I can go out to dinner or to a movie, though, and can shower and feed myself from the fridge, which is nice. No working, which is a WHOLE 'nother can of worms. The point of bed rest is to minimize the weight of Noah on my placenta/cervix so that I can hopefully last longer without a major bleed.

2. Starting now, I can expect a bleed at any time. It will happen because of Noah's weight on my cervix and as the cervix softens. The farther along I am, the more likely I'll bleed. It could be where it starts light and buys me time to get to the hospital, or, more likely, where it just starts gushing like a fire hose. Awesome. I think McSexy almost passed out over that description. We are hoping for the slow trickle where we have time to drive 15 minutes to the ER without getting our new car (PILOT peeps, super happy) completely bloody. We'll see.

3. If the bleeding starts, they'll try to stop it and if successful, keep me at the hospital on bed rest as long as possible (until 1. I bleed again or 2. get an amnio and his lungs are strong enough for delivery). If they can't stop it, they'll deliver him right away, no matter how far along we are. Boo. Too leeetle.

4. If I make it to 33 weeks (Jan 30th), I get another ultrasound to see what is happening, his position, etc. If things look good, I'll get an amnio and deliver soon after that, around 34 weeks.

5. Best case scenario and one we want specific prayers for: no bleeding, and then amnio w/ good result and delivery at 35 weeks. They won't let me go beyond that because then you are basically asking for hemorrhaging and an emergency section, which would really suck.

So, that is the situation. Alot of scenarios, and difficult for me to deal with, because I am a planner and hate not having a sure timeline, but there's literally nothing we can do....

So anyway, back to yesterday. Jason is out buying me a new car at a dealership about 30 minutes to an hour away depending on traffic. I start having contractions, and proceed with all of my usual tricks - bathing, drinking water, lying down, etc. But these feel a bit different than before because even when I am not contracting, my lower back is KIIIIIILLLLLIIIIINNNNNGGGG me. Like a achey muscle at best, being stabbed with an ice pick at worse and there is constant dull pain punctuated by the sharp pain of the contractions. We were babysitting Boo Boo, and he and Madison were standing over me - she licking and pacing, him howling right in my face. It was lovely. They were freaked out (don't ask about Duke - he was sleeping in a little egocentric ball). When I moved to the tub, Madison literally would not leave my side. She stood by the bathtub staring at me. But I kept thinking - oh, they'll go away in a bit, lalalalalala. I'm a moron.

Well, actually, they did subside for a little bit. "Take that beetches!" was what I was thinking. Sort of in the middle of this, Jason and his dad drove the car he wanted to buy out to me to inspect, and I was having contractions the whole time. My commentary on the car went like this, "The exterior is really great, I would say excellent condition.... OH MY F-ING GOD I AM GOING TO DIE whooo whoo whoooo... But I wouldn't rate the leather as "excellent" condition and they need to fix the vents so you need to talk them down... THIS SUCKS THIS IS NOT NORMAL I AM GOING TO DIE!" I would say gold star for me for checking out the car during those episodes. Jason was SLIGHTLY freaked out, but I was OH SO SURE they would be subsiding soon that I sent him on his way to put an offer on the car and so on and so forth, with my friend Becky on call in case something happened.

They did go away for an hour, like I said, and I thought I had one upped them. The problem was when they came back. By the time I realized that they were happening closer and closer together, I called Jason to see where he was on the drive home and he hadn't even left the dealership. WTF?!!! He dumped the paperwork there and left right away but by then I was crying in pain. I tried the bath again, no avail. Jason called me back to say that he had called my friend Amy's husband to come get me and take me to the hospital because he was super stuck in traffic. CJ came within a few minutes and Jason met us at the hospital. Thank God for CJ, but now I think he's never going to let Amy have a baby. Sorry, friend.

So, I'll hurry up now because this is a boring story anyway. We were whisked away to labor and delivery (a small perk of a high risk pregnancy - no time in the ER). I WAS having contractions, which at least I was right about that. Being the first time I've had them, I wasn't sure, ya know? My uterus was super "irritated" and showing constant little tiny motions between the larger peaks, so that is why the pain was pretty much constant with not much relief. Noah was kicking away and letting everyone know he was NOT pleased with the monitors, but the nurses were thrilled by him, so he really got the opposite reaction that he wanted. (Sidenote: my nurses were INCREDIBLE! Explained everything, were so, so nice, waited on us hand and foot, gave us a ton of good advice and info about previa. Oh, I loved them so. So glad we will be there for delivery!) Anyway, they got a hold of my doctor, who basically said there is nothing they can do other than wait for a bleed. I guess that uteruses don't approve of previa and express that by contracting and causing lots of trouble so I'll just continue to have these episodes up until delivery. They could have given me meds to stop the contractions, but we didn't want to do that if possible. They couldn't check my cervix because that is a big no no with previa, so everyone basically just flies blind until the bleeding starts, which they didn't think was going to happen unless I kept contracting like that for another day or so.

So we went home. Jason got me McDonalds and I spilled my fries all over the car and then I cried. BUT this morning the contractions had stopped so I am laying here, still as ice, praying that they never come back.



The end.

Giving Thanks

From the worst blogger on the planet. I suck at life. This is why.


Well, school has been busy (with 14 boys, ya know!). Pregnancy has been brutal (finally felt better two weeks ago at 21 weeks!). We have been especially busy preparing for Noah, and have some new updates (which I am trying to view positively - see below!), but I thought I would take the time to participate in the 25 Things I Am Thankful For list that is so popular. Technically you are supposed to list one per day for the whole month of November until Thanksgiving, but I am a slacker. So here goes.

1. I am thankful for my McSexy, who gave me this cute little baby boy and without whom, I never would have survived this pregnancy (or the last one). Or at least I would not have eaten, showered, cleaned house, walked the dogs, etc. for the last five plus months. He is a saint. Say-aint. Saint.

2. I am thankful for my cute little Noah who looks just like daddy. I am thankful that he is finally tolerating vegetables, kicks me regularly every night and that he has continued to grow and fight. Thank you, Baby.

3. I am thankful for the medical advances that caught my complete placenta previa BEFORE labor (which would not have been good, no no). Even though my condition has actually worsened, I am thankful that we have c-sections to get my little man out safely, thankful for specialists that know how to recognize and treat my complications, thankful for the NICU where Noah will likely spend his first few weeks. Without modern medicine, Noah and I would both be dead by March. So, I am thankful.

4. Even though no one wants a preemie and I am hoping he stays in until 34 weeks (when they drag his poor, unprepared body out, waaaaaa), I am thankful that I at least get to meet Noah earlier than expected. Would I prefer he stay in there to term? Yes. But trying to find the positive, people!

5. I am thankful for amazing insurance that has covered and will cover all of our medical expenses. I pray for those that face health complications with poor or no insurance. You can see how it can absolutely destroy people.

6. I am thankful for my job, which has been nothing but accommodating, flexible, understanding and comfortable with ambiguity throughout my whole pregnancy. I am lucky to work in a school that believes so strongly in children and families that they actually adhere to their convictions in their employment policies, regardless of what it means for them financially or otherwise. I am thankful to work in a place of integrity.

7. I am thankful for my munchkins and parents, who are so supportive each and every day. My kiddos LOVE Noah (write him love notes, sing to him, read to him, fiercely protect him) and my parents rush to help me out in any way they can. I am thankful to be part of such a wonderful community. And my kids are hilarious. Seriously. What kids think about how my pregnant belly is going to get so big that it curls around itself? And ponder how will I be able to run with a curly belly. Seriously.

8. I am thankful for my friends and family who are already planning (or changing their plans!) to help me out during my impending bed rest at 27 weeks! We have been offered meals, house cleaning, visits, books, etc. It makes things less overwhelming knowing we have so much help if we need it!

9. I am thankful that MS and I both have good, stable jobs, especially in this time of unemployment and financial upheaval. Thank you, GOD!

10. I am thankful for a warm house and good food. So many do not have either of these things, and I think we take them for granted much of the time. I do anyway. Especially now that it is snowing outside and I am particularly hungry (ALL. THE. TIME), I am thankful for shelter and meals.

11. I am thankful for my education that has allowed me to be in a career that I think will make me that much better of a mother. My degrees are in little people. It has to help, right?

12. I am thankful to have a husband that has a similar parenting philosophy as I. I am thankful that he is interested in birth, and attachment, and breastfeeding and freely reads these books to be better prepared for our baby. I am glad that he will be there to advocate for Noah and what we feel is right even if I am slightly incapacitated at first. Noah, you are a lucky little man!

13. I am thankful for my puppies, who are angels and precious and the biggest cuddle bugs in the whole wide world. Thank you, God, for sending me these particular dogs, who are a perfect fit for Jason and I and who we love so deeply. They make our lives more entertaining and lovely each and every day. Wuv my widdle doggies.

14. And my ratty girl. Who is highly entertaining and eternally patient as her life is threatened daily by 20 kinders. Best. Rat. Ever.

OMG, HOW MANY MORE????? Snap. Ok, we are going to get quick and random and trivial.

15. Thankful for Eggnog Lattes. Yes I am. And the money to buy them.

16. Thankful for snow. And snow-days, which I know we are going to have tomorrow. RIGHT? RIGHT? For all that is holy, please! Teachers everywhere are on their knees BEGGING!

17. Ugg boots. And for places in New Jersey that clean your brand-new, muddy Ugg boots when a certain Malamute puppy jumps on them. I love you, place in New Jersey.

18. Pumpkin candles.

19. My church, which inspires me with its commitment to community, Biblical scholarship, service, the environment and social justice. Gooooooo MOTA! Sorry you are 19th, meant for you to be earlier but I forgot. Lame.

20. Books. Teaching books, birthing/breastfeeding books, novels. Excellent children's books that inspire my kids to read over and over and over. I'll also throw libraries in there. Teachers would die without libraries. And inter-library loan. And holds. I love me some books.

21. Hiking, camping, swimming, etc. And for living in Oregon, where it is the best place to do these things.

22. Cloth diapers. Best thing to happen to the environment since organic. And I am so thrilled that they are so freaking cute and just as easy to do as 'sposies. Makes me not so guilty of a momma.

23. Hulu.

24. The holidays and holiday breaks. Perk of being in the lowest paid profession that requires a Master degree. So don't be messin' with our breaks. You can't afford what we are truly worth!

25. Am I done? My 25th is - I am thankful this list is done. I like being grateful and all, but my ribs hurt. And my kids are putting on the play-from-hell tomorrow complete with sewn costumes and masks, yet they can't seem to face the audience nor stop themselves from running into each other. Wish us luck.